Serena on Philando Castile shooting: When will something be done?
Your teams. Your favorite writers. Wherever you want them. Personalize SI with our new App. Install on iOS or Android.
In her first tweet after advancing to the Wimbledon final, Serena Williams posted her reaction to Wednesday’s Philando Castile shooting.
“In London I have to wake up to this,” Williams wrote. “He was black. Shot 4 times? When will something be done - no REALLY be done?!?!”
Castile was shot by a police officer in Minnesota on Wednesday after being pulled over for having a broken tail light. Castile’s girlfriend recorded a video that shows him bleeding in the front seat of the car. She says in the video that he was shot after reaching into his back pocket to retrieve his license from his wallet.
The footage is the second video of police shooting and killing a black man to go viral over the past two days. On Tuesday, a video circulated of Alton Sterling being restrained by police and then shot to death in Baton Rouge, La.
• Athletes react to Philando Castile shooting by police
Williams hasn’t been afraid to speak out on issues of equality. In 2015, she encouraged the Black Lives Matter movement, which has aimed to highlight police killings of African–Americans, to “keep it up.”
• LISANTI: Serena Williams cruises past Elena Vesnina into Wimbledon final
Williams beat Elena Vesnina 6–2, 6–0 in the semifinals on Thursday to continue her quest for her 22nd Grand Slam title.
No. 4 Angelique Kerber defeated Venus Williams to advance to the final, and will face Serena in a rematch of January’s Australian Open final, which Kerber won 6–4, 6–4.
